Undertaker Apprentice
by Lily Church
Summary: The Undertaker is going to meet an interesting girl that will make his silver head turn a 180. And maybe cut some of that curtain hair shorter.
1. Chapter One: Tiny Terror

"Tell me something funny," he drawled. Layla squinted her eyes at him, trying to take his appearance in from the oddly length of silver hair that ran down his long frame to the fact that he was wearing a dark robe. And his fingernails were painted along with a curtain of silver hair covering half of his would be handsome face.

"What worse," Layla started. "Three children in one garbage can, or one child in three garbage cans?"

The man pause, the grin he sported on his face falling. "That is a bit dark for a little lady like you."

"Yes," Layla snipped. "But after being raised in an orphanage, I figure that having a dash of dark in the world will not hurt anyone."

The man huffed and pushed off from the desk counter he was leaning on. "What can I help you with, young lady?" He tilted his head. "No one ever comes in here to visit dead bodies."

"I'm looking for a dog," Layla separated her hands enough to show an example of size. "About this wide; a tiny terror really."

He paused. "This is a shop for dead bodies. Not dogs."

Layla wrinkled her nose. "Is that another statement where you can not help me?"

"Yes,"

"Damn it."

He grinned. "But I can help you with bodies. This one," he pointed a long bony finger to one of the large coffins resting on the floor. "Had his brains blown out by a straw. That one," he pointed to a coffin on the far side. "Is currently being eaten by maggots!" He clapped his hands together like a child on the day of Christmas Eve that was given a toy car. But this little boy was given dead bodies.

"No," Layla shook her head of blond curls. "That will be all." She made her way towards the door. "I shal be back tomorrow, Mr..." she trailed off.

"Undertaker,"

"Mr. Under," she nodded her head.

Undertaker shook his head. "Undertaker,"

"That name is too long!" Layla opened the door and looked back at him and gave him a small curtesy and a smile. "Have a nice day, Under." With the small farewell, she walked through the door, letting it shut behind her.


	2. Chapter Two: Becoming an “Apprentice”

_First and foremost, I would like to thank the first person who commented on chapter one of Undertake Apprentice and to the people who made me a favorite Author and put me on the alert of a new chapter. It really means the world to me, thank you so so much. Loves and Kisses and all that to you guys and to everyone afterwards who reads this story and comments and all that fun stuff. _

_FYI, I own none of the characters in this story except for my own character Layla and to be completely honest, I have no idea if this will follow any storyline of the original: Black Butler. I can promise nothing that I will follow the storyline or the actual plot of Black Butler. I made this on the intention of fullfilling a fantasy of the Undertaker (which by the way is really hot) and a made up character that he falls in love with if you have not already guessed. Whether or not this is to liking, I do hope you have fun reading this and feel free to comment and give me any ideas or critiques. _

The next day, Layla pushed the door to the Undertaker's funeral home open and walked inside. "Under," she called out. "I brought muffins!" She held up the paper bag filled with delicious goodies, walking towards the counter, being mindful of the litter of coffins on the floor. "There's plenty of fla-" before she could finished the sentence, a long bony hand clamped over her mouth.

Undertaker moved down to whisper beside Layla's ear. "Be mindful of your voice dear," he drawled softly. "The guests are sleeping."

Layla twitched her nose in irritation. She smacked the hand away from her mouth and motioned to the coffins. "I see no guests here, Under," she spat. "The only thing I see if a litter of coffins!" She put her hands on her hips and turned to face him. "Honestly, the least you could do is put them upright. There would be more room to walk."

Layla sniffed and held out the bag of muffins. "Here. An apology for barging in on you, yesterday and making you help me with my dog." Under took the bag as if it was filled with atomic bombs and dropped it on the counter. "I found my dog, by the way," Layla continued. "He was in my garbage chewing on a chicken bone."

"For repayment, you could make me laugh," Under clapped his hands together and gave her a grin.

Layla wrinkled her nose in thought. What was with this man. If it was anyone else, they would have kicked her out for even coming back. "If I have 67 coconuts and 11 peanuts but my friend is allergic and I flip these pancakes at a ratio of seven to three, how many apples can I pick up with my mouth?"

Undertaker's grin slipped yet again with her joke and slowly started counting on his fingers. He even used his long nails to count with when he ran out of fingers. "17?" He looked up at her.

"No, silly," Layla shook her head. "You have two purple balls so that means you will be able to flip only three pancakes correctly while shoving your-" She cleared her throat, ears turning a nice shade of pink. "Nuts," Layla choked out. "Down your friend's throat and you will not be picking up the apples because your nuts have turned blue, it's zero!"

Done with the mouthful, Layla gave Undertaker a wide smile.

The Undertaker's already pale skin slowly turned from sickly gray to a cherry red making the chain like scar on his face more prominent. "Oh dear," he muttered, covering half of his face with a long hand. "It seems that the joke was far fetched."

Layla scrunches up her nose, and stepped closer to examine Under's features. She had thought she examined the man close enough, the first day she met him but she somehow had forgotten the long jagged scar running vertically from his forward and down to his jaw which then ended in a loop around his neck. Almost as if they were chains to shackle him.

Layla looked down at his waist and noted the circlet of lockets around his robes. She looked up again and took note of the singular silver braid and black earrings. "My," Layla mused. "It's a rock and roll priest. I wonder if those exists in America."

"I beg you pardon," Undertaker gasped. "I am a funeral director! Not some, s-some, bloody _priest!" _

"I would bet," Layla smiled. "But besides the matter, I would like to work here! I have no resume so you have to believe me when I say, I am just a learner and you will not regret taking me on."

"Wait just a moment, young lady,"

"But of course, I am not taking no for an answer, Under."

"Wait,"

"I will be here tomorrow, bright and early!"

"Wait!"

"Tata!" And with that, Layla walked out of the shop without letting the Undertaker utter another word.

Under stood there in the middle of his shop, staring at the door in shock. He had never in the long years of his life had someone else put him in that state. He put them in it, not the other way around.

He shook his head and walked over to a bookshelf that held a single black top hat that had seen better days and picked up. He placed it on his head and again glanced at the door under the curtain of silver hair, covering his eyes.

"Layla Evergrendale," he grinned. "What an interesting young lady."


	3. Chapter Three: Ciel and Sebastian

_Hello lovelies! Today on June 5th, I turn 15. Personally I do not feel 15, rather I feel like a 21 year old. So in celebration of my not so glorious birthday, I will grace you with another chapter of Undertaker Apprentice._

_"_Under!" Layla screamed in disgust. "You can not keep bodies that are rotting with maggots! It is unsanitary!"

Undertaker poked his head out of one of the coffins he was laying in and grinned, stretching the scar across his face. "But it is such a lovely decoration to the parlor, dear."

"A horrid _smelly _decoration," Layla commented, scrunching her nose up at the rotting corpse in the coffin in front of her. "Get rid of it. It will scare away the customers."

Under slithered his long body out of his coffin and stood. "The only customers I get are dead bodies,"

That day was Layla's second day of working for the Undertaker and he finally added something to his dingy robe: a top hat that had seen better days. However that was two days ago. And he still wore the same bloody thing since the first day she met him.

Layla shook her head, blonde curls whipping across her cheeks. "It will be-," the sound of the bell above the parlor door caught her attention and she quickly whipped her head to meet a pair of cold sapphires eyes that belong to a little boy. However before she could open her mouth to ask what he had come for, Under was in front of her, blocking her small frame from sight.

"Ciel Phantomhive," Under mused. If Layla had to bet, he had his creepy grin stretched across his lips. "What brings your short self here, my lord?"

_My lord?_

"I have come to hear information on the case of Dracula," the little boy answer who Layla assumed was Ciel. "Do you have anything on him, Undertaker?"

A deeper voice answer to the lord's question. It was too deep to be Ciel's but also too smooth to be Under's. "Or does your little miss have the answers to my lord's curiosity?"

Layla felt her body stiffen with that voice and instinctively burrowed her body into Under's back. Under vibrated with tension but he seemed to keep it at bay since his voice held his amused tone. "Do not mind her, my lord. She is just my apprentice."

"Oh contraire," the voice drawled. "She is much more."

Ciel clicked his tongue. "Nevermind that, Sebastian. We are here on official business on behalf of the queen of England."

"Of course," Under snipped. "Apparently from every examination of the bodies, the blood was drained to the very last drop. No cuts or gashes except for the singular teeth mark."

Shivered went down Layla's spine. What monster drank blood from humans? It was absolutely revolting.

"Every body was female, however," Under continued. "All under the age of 25."

Ciel hummed with thought before turning. "Very well then. I will return in three days for more information."

Layla peeked her head out from behind Under to catch the so called Sebastian, a tall dark fellow, hold the door open for his master and bowed towards Under and flashed a small wink in Layla's direction.

After the duo was gone, Layla looked up at Under and asked, "Who were they?"

"The queen's guard dog, Ciel Phantomhive," Under kept his eyes on the door while he answered. "Earl of the Phantomhive estate and Funton Toy Company. The butler was Sebastian Michaelis, the lord's faithful knight." He turned down to look at her. "Do me a favor, girly and stay away from them. When they visit, go in the back and wait for me to come get you when they are gone. They are not the crowd you would like to get mixed into."

"But how about you, Under?"

"What about me?"

"You are mixed up with them and I am mixed up with you,"

The Undertaker took a step forward and looked at her from under the curtain of hair. "That is so, Layla. That is so."


	4. ChapterFour:Dracula

_Hello lovelies! Sorry I haven't been up and running but sadly I'm the type of person that starts something but doesn't know the beginning to it. I know the middle and ending but everything else that's supposed to come before is a no go for me. I'll try my best, I promise! _

_Also I feel like I have stressed this enough but I DO NOT OWN BLACK BUTLER OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS. I only own my own character. Also another thing, is that I do not know the original story line of Black Butler. I'm just making it up as I go and may add some scenes from the Book of the Atlantic._

_Anyways, just wanted to point that out again for anyone in the back. _

_Onward lovelies!_

The following week, Layla was walking from her to the Undertaker's Parlor for her shift at the shop. She had just picked up a bag of muffins when a small paper boy stopped her in the streets to see if she would like to buy a paper.

"I believe I will, young sir," Layla held out the right amount of money to the boy and took the papers he held out to her. "Have a good day," Layla went on her way.

Arriving at the shop, Layla did not stop when she shoved the bag of muffins into Under's arms and quickly brushed behind the counters. "Open for business!"

Under shook his head and scratched the top of his hat. "Layla, dear, I believe that the word of closed. My business is for dead people."

Layla turned a hateful eye towards Undertaker. "It's your fault that this place is so dark! Black here, black there! Do you have no happiness in your heart to at least give this place _life?_"

"Again, dead people,"

"Rubbish excuse,"

Layla leaned her torso against the counter and leaned closer to the Undertaker. "Have you heard of the Dracula, Under? It's the talk of London apparently."

Under nodded his head, grinning a wide smile full of sharp white teeth. "With all the ladies and children and men, victims of a tragic murder who have had their blood taken from their bodies leaving an empty shell behind for the police men to arrive."

The blonde wrinkled her nose. "No need to have such excitement over it, Under. It's the talk of victims and murderers."

Undertaker frowned and waved an arm over to the coffins currently resting on the floor and walks all around the room. "Dead folk," He deadpanned. "My parlor is a morgue, of course I take great pleasure," he grinned as if he was... aroused. "In murders."

Yet again, Layla wrinkled her nose. "Forshame, Under. You have no shame in those bones of yours."

"None whatsoever, my dear Layla,"

_Okay, lovelies.. this wasn't my best chapter since I just wanted to put something out. Sorry that it's short but I just wanted to put something for you guys so.. I hope it's okay. Comment for tips and critiques are welcomed. *whispers* please be nice though, I'm still only a teenager who's vocabulary isn't that well developed as much as I try. _

_Until next time, lovelies! _


	5. ChapterFive:Cookie

_Hello lovelies! I'd like to shout out to some people who left reviews on the story, thank you so much! *kiss kiss* thank you again! Again it means the world to me so in honor of that, I got a little inspiration to give you guys a new chapter._

After work with a quick shoo of his sleeve, Under let Layla clock out and waved her a goodbye before she left through the doors to head home. The streets were dead silent due to the late hours with families tucked in their houses by the fireplaces due to the cold from the winter breeze, no lights to shine through the windows of houses and the fact that another serial killer was on the loose.

That little fact didn't seem to dampen Layla's ever happy mood even though she knew exactly what the serial killer was capable of. Rather, she just kept strolling through the streets of London to get to her little pink town house, just stopping at a tiny shop that opened late to pick up a bag of biscuits and sweets for tomorrow to bring to the parlor and share with Under. He never did eat the muffins so she thought she could fancy him in a chocolate chip cookie and if not, maybe a snickerdoodle would do the trick. Or maybe a shortbread biscuit.

"Poor Under," Layla shook her head. She looked down to examine the plain brown bag filled with the biscuit she had just bought. "He never eats, no wonder why he is such a skinny thing."

She turned into an alleyway, a short cut to take to her home. She looked up to a strange image of a shadow lit up by the light of the moon.

Or rather, two shadows: a man and a woman

To Layla, the shadows seemed like two lovers dancing in the moonlight. The male tipping his partner down to stare into her eyes, to show his love through emotions when words could not express. Layla slowly crept her way closely to shadows, her brows scrunching in confusion. The people of London should have been tucked in bed. It was nearly midnight when she left the parlor and to add to it, no one was sane enough to dance in the moonlight at that hour, even if they were lovesick lovers; there was a murderer to be considered.

It was all over the papers about the serial killer being taking women and drinking their blood in one sitting and clearly one of the shadows had a silhouette of a woman, Layla was certain.

Layla raised her hand towards the couple when her eyes finally adjusted and had a proper look at the so thought dancing duo.

Rather than staring into his lover's eyes, the man looked down at the woman's limp body with a crazed hungry eyes, eyes that shimmered a scarlet hue. It contrasted to his pearly glass skin, so transparent that his veins were visible. The woman's stare, unlike the man was void of life. Her skin had the color of sickly grey and her body remained like a broken doll in his arms. There was a single bite mark on her neck still fresh and dripping with scarlet.

Layla felt the bag of cookies slip from her grasp and quickly clasped her hands to her lips to hold back a fearful whimper.

The man had killed the woman. Drank her blood like a mosquito but instead of leaving her alive, he left like an empty carcass.

Oh god, Layla thought. This man was Dracula. The killer who snatched women up in the dead of night and killed them. Drank his fill of their blood.

The man- no, _monster _snapped his red gaze towards Layla and immediately snarled, dropping the woman and advanced towards her, his gaze fixed on Layla's throat.

Layla swallowed a scream before turning and making a run towards the open street, to get away from the monster. She needed to get away, away from the monster before she was his next victim but before she could, she felt a strong grip sink into her hair and yank her back into a hard chest.

Layla screamed and thrashed like a wild cat to get away from him but he held her in a vice grip, snarling into her ear and hissing vile, murderous things.

"Delicious," He hissed. A forked tongue slipped out from between his lips and dragged a long line down the side of her neck. Layla repressed a shudder of disgust. "Now be quiet," he snapped. "Before a tear your pretty little throat."

Layla immediately clamped her mouth and looked around frantically. She had screamed but no one came to save her. No one looked out of their windows or turned on their lights.

She was alone with a monster.

"Please," Layla whimpered.

"Do beg," Dracula murmured. "It brings me pleasure when they be-" his words were cut off with a pained groan.

"Please, let the lady go," a familiar dark and masculine spoke from behind them.

"Erik Gordon," a childish voice said in the same direction. "Also known as the killer, Dracula, by order of the Queen, you are under arrest for the murder of 25 girls and women."

Dracula- rather Erik snarled in vengeance and quickly turned to face the duo, snapping one of his hands to rip the- was that silverware? - from his neck, keeping his grip firmly around Layla.

"Honestly," Ciel clicked his tongue and tapped his cane twice on the ground. "Why must they always be so hard to catch."

Sebastian stood tall next to his master, a hand clasp to his chest and another behind his back. "Forgive us, miss," he said. "I shall free you in just a moment's time. Please be patient."

Layla swallowed thickly and gave a quick jerk of her head in acknowledgement. At that point, Layla did not care what happened as long as she got out of that situation alive.

Ciel tilted his gaze back towards the moon and rolled his head around his shoulders. "This is an order, Sebastian," he clicked his cane down again. "Rescue the girl and bring me Erik Gordon, dead or alive, I do not care."

A smile slowly spread itself across the butler's lips. "Of course, my lord," he bowed. "Please close your eyes, young miss. I'd rather not defile your innocence."

Erik gripped her hair and snapped her head to the side with a quick flick. "Move and I kill her," he snapped. "Try it!"

Layla squeezed her eyes in fear. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to die!

"You can open your eyes now, miss," Sebastian whispered in her ear from behind. Layla snapped her eyes open and whirled to face the black butler. "What," she started. She looked down at her feet to find Erik, facedown on the ground with a pair of silver forks stuck to the back of his head. Layla felt her brows furrow in confusion and turned her head up to look at Sebastian kindly, smiling face. "How did you do that?" she asked.

Sebastian bowed. "I am one hell of a butler, miss."

No butler could have done that. She had just closed her eyes for a few seconds, no human could have taken a man down within that span of time, there were no possibilities.

Layla swallowed and studied the butler and turned to look at the child that Sebastian Michaelis called his master.

No wonder Under had told her to stay away from the pair. It was absolutely impossible that they were normal citizens of London.

Or of this world for the matter.

_Until next time, lovelies!_


	6. ChapterSix:Aftercare

_Hello again, lovelies! I'm currently at a trampoline parks with my siblings and I'm bored. Before any of you guys ask, no I decided not to jump because I don't find these attractions fun anymore. I'm more of an amusement park kind of girl with large rollarcoasters and fast rides of such and not jumping around on trampolines. I'll leave that up to my siblings. ANYWAYS! Onto another chapter, lovelies!_

Layla sat bundled up on a chair with a blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders. She was back at the parlor with Under hovering over her with an expression of worry with his lower half of his face, his lips pressed in a firm line and the curtain that was his hair still covered his eyes.

"Honestly, Layla, darling," Under cooed. He brushed a gray sleeve over her head.

"I'm fine," Layla murmured. In truth, she was shaken. She could've have died and on top of that, there was the concern of the butler who stood in the corner beside his little master.

"If it wasn't for Sebastian and Ciel, you would have been a drink!" Under feigned a fake gesture of disgust with his sleeve covering his mouth.

Ciel rolled his eye. "Enough of that nonsense, Undertaker," he glared. "We have more pressing matters to attend to."

Under wrinkled his nose and pointed a crooked nail at the singular coffin on the floor. "If you're talking about that ill nobody, take his body to the queen. There is no use of it staying in my parlor."

Ciel clicked his tongue. "That is not the problem," he waved a gloved hand towards his butler. "If you will."

Sebastian tilted his head. "There is a belief that Erik Gordon, known as Dracula may have had an accomplice. We believe it is a woman going by the Blood Countess but we are not quite sure. She hasn't committed any murders or sorts but the queen has evidence that she was working with Dracula."

"So you're saying that you have no idea if she even exists?" Layla shot them an incredulous look from her huddled spot. "That is far fetched and second guessing."

Ciel shot a hard glare at Layla. "Stay out of this."

Layla opened her mouth to retort when a long sleeved arm shot out and place a large hand on top of the boy's head.

To someone else, it would have looked like a friendly gesture if one was not accounting Under's smile and Sebastian's knife pressed against his throat.

"Please, unhand my young master," Sebastian said with the upmost calm.

"Watch what he says about Layla," Under seconded.

Ciel rolled his eye and knocked Under's hand away. "Bafoons, the lot of you."

"Ah," Under raised a finger, making his way around to stand behind Layla. "But we are all fools for working in the night, my lord."

The young earl flicked his gaze towards the tiny woman. "That is not a conversation that is for the miss."

Layla scoffed. "Says the chi-" she cut off with a hard yelp when Under wrapped a finger around a lock of honey colored hair and yanked. "Under!" Layla reached back to swat at his hand. He did not let go but after reached up and rubbed the irritated scalp. "That hurt," she grumbled, burying the lower half of her face underneath the blanket. Her head was hurting from the times Dracula had yanked her hair and having Under tugging on her hair was not helping at all.

Under grinned and to make it up to her, he carefully sectioned off her honey colored hair into thirds and started to braid it it, taking extra care to be gentle.


	7. ChapterSeven:BonyArms

_Hello lovelies! I'm back at it again as you can see after all this time. I apologize. It's been a rough year and I've had no inspiration to write Undertaker Apprentice. But here I am, stuck at home and not at school because of this blasted corona virus and with great confidence from my essay grade: 137.5/140 (which is the highest grade I have ever managed on any of my English essays), I'm gonna grace you guys with another chapter. Or try to anyway. _

_Sorry for the long wait, onward lovelies!_

After the earl child and the butler left, Layla turned to Under, her now braided hair a heavy length down her back. "Why were they here, Under?"

Under looked down on the tiny female and tugged playfully on her braid. "I told you, dearie, the queen's dog is not to be messed with. Nor his butler for the matter." Under tilted his silver head towards the door. "Or rather, that damn Sebastian is more of a loyal demon dog than that earl."

Layla wrinkled her nose at his riddle like answer and hopped off the stool she was on and almost kissed the floor if it were not for Under's bony arms for caught her. Which all things considering his arms, while they were lean (were those muscles under those bones?), they were in fact hard and Layla might as well have dropped to the floor and still be cushioned from the fall by the woods than Under's arms. "Christ almighty," Layla hissed. "Your arms are so bony! Do you even eat, sir?"

The tall man gave her the blankest look he could muster under his curtain of hair.

Layla nodded her head in understanding and gave a grave apology. "Right, my apology. I'll be cleaning in the corner of shame. My fault."


End file.
